26 January | EVERYONE

WHY DID GOD ESTABLISH SO MANY LAWS?

"So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them." Exodus 15: 25

Seeing the enchanted oasis in the distance, the people of Israel believed that they had found the solution to the terrible thirst that consumed them. They were frustrated, however, when they realized that Marah's water was bitter. It was not good for drinking. It was seductive water—a deceptive liquid that carried the seed of death in its particles and was as treacherous as sin: dirty, filthy, and fatal. But then, we read in the New International Version, "Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink." Today's text, according to the same version, ends by saying that “there the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test."

That piece of wood, or that tree depending on the version, is a symbol of Jesus healing the diseased waters of the heart. Only after man is forgiven do laws and commandments come. During the wandering in the wilderness, God established many laws, statutes, and ordinances. The moral law, whose principles are eternal, was kept within the ark of the covenant and carried by the priests along the journey.

He also gave them many ceremonial and sacrificial laws that foreshadowed the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. All of them ended when Jesus, the true Paschal Lamb, gave His life for humanity on the cross of Calvary.

In addition to moral and ceremonial law, there were many other civil and sanitary laws that governed the life of the people. The reason was simple. Israel was a theocracy. There was no president and no congress. God Himself legislated in Israel, not only to safeguard the experience of salvation, but also to ensure order, health, and harmonious coexistence among people. Without laws, chaos would prevail, and a happy life would be impossible.

Take Action

Thank God today for His constant care, including the laws that make our lives easier. But even more, thank Him for the "tree" on which Jesus was nailed and which sweetens even the bitterest waters, encouraging you to love God and your neighbor every day.